Woman and man treated by ambulance crews after tumble dryer caught alight

A woman and a man were treated by ambulance crews after a fire caused by a tumble dryer spread across the ground floor of a residential block on Saturday night.

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze in Beaconsfield Road, Walworth.

The fire occurred at a split-level maisonette on the ground and first floors of a five-storey residential block. Part of the maisonette’s balcony was damaged by fire, the London fire brigade (LFB) said.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued a woman via an internal staircase using a fire escape hood. 

A man managed to escape the property before the LFB arrived. The man and woman were left in the care of London Ambulance Service crews suffering from smoke inhalation.

Fire escape hoods provide members of the public with up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases – carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein – and can be worn by conscious or unconscious people. 

They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier. 

The LFB received five calls to the fire and gave vital fire survival guidance to those inside the building on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived.  

Firefighters were called at around 8.10pm and the fire was extinguished by around 9pm. 

Crews from Old Kent Road, Peckham, New Cross and Lambeth fire stations attended the scene.

The fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have involved a tumble dryer, the LFB said.

Pictured top: The building in Beaconsfield Road where the fire took place (Picture: LFB)